>>>>>>>>>NEWS FLASH<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Jim will be giving a talk on the backstory of Disney's animated film "Frozen" at the Bloomingdale Branch of the New York Public Library on Saturday, May 16th.
There's still time to sign up by sending email to events@etccustomevents.com.

And how was your weekend? Mine contrasted sharply with last weekend. Instead of being inside of the brightly-lit Anaheim Convention Center surrounded by thousands of Disney fans, I was sitting in the dark here at home with Nancy, Alice and the cats. What with all the wind & wet weather associated...

So what was the very best part of the original D23 EXPO ? To be honest, that depended on what aspect of the Walt Disney Company most excites you. For fans of Disney's live-action movies, it would be hard to top that moment from the Studio Showcase when the wreckage of a sailing ship slowly rotated...

Deerborn Duck wrote in to ask me about Walt Disney World's real estate development arm: What you tell me about the Buena Vista Land Company? That name keeps coming up in regards to that Flamingo Crossing complex which Disney is supposed to be building out along Western Way near the State Road 429...

It's kind of the quintessential Disney theme park joke. The brain-dead WDW visitor who walks up to the Cast Member in the Magic Kingdom and then asks "What time is the 3 o'clock parade?" Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Well, starting on July 18 th , this will...

There are Walt Disney World guidebooks that you read because they give you amazingly accurate info about how to properly navigate this 43 square-mile resort (EX: " The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2012 "). Then there are those WDW guidebooks that you pick up because they have lots of...

The conventional wisdom in Hollywood these days is that " Winnie the Pooh " is going to have a tough time of it this summer. Given that this Walt Disney Animation Studios production is being released to theaters on July 15 th , the exact same day that " Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...

So what are you going to do with your Memorial Day Monday? If you're out in Southern California and looking for a really spectacular patriotic event to attend ... I'm afraid that you're about a week late at this point. You see, the City of Torrance 's 52 nd Armed Forces Day Celebration...

There are many myths associated with Audio Animatronics. With the biggest one being that these mechanized marvels can do just about anything that the Imagineers can dream up. Not so says Imagineer Darrin Hughes . Who's spent the past 20 years programming AA figures for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts...

How many times have you looked at a piece of Disney theme park concept art and thought: "Oooh, I wanna go there right now." Collin Campbell's painting of the Fort Wilderness Railroad Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Collin Campbell was an absolute master when it came...

There's this story which dates back to the Fall of 1984. About how Michael Eisner - right after he'd been installed as the new head of Walt Disney Productions - brought his son, Breck along when Eisner did his very first walk-through of WED. And based on this then-14-year-old boy's enthusiastic...

There are two types of behind-the-scenes books that you typically see coming out of The Walt Disney Company. The first type is the highly scrubbed history (EX: Bob Thomas ' " Disney's Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast " [Disney Editions, October 1992]) which...

Look. I know. Hanukkah ended on the 9th. And Christmas and Kwanzaa are just around the corner. So the last thing that you probably want to hear about at this point is another holiday. But given that a lot of you like spending New Year's Eve at Walt Disney World but don't necessarily enjoy the...

There have been lots of looky-loos lately over that Fantasyland Forest construction fence. Which has resulted in an equally large number of theories floating around online about what's currently going on with this $300 million project. Take - for example - all that soil that's been piled up towards...

First up, Mark K. writes to ask about WDW ’s Night Kingdom / Jungle Trek project: There was considerable talk several years back about a potential 5th park opening but I have heard no mention of it recently. Did the recession and the decision to remake fantasy land doom this project? Dear Mark K. – There...

By now, you’ve no doubt seen those online videos that made many a theme park fan go gaga. Where a few lucky Guests – as they were making a stop at Mickey’s House at Disneyland earlier this week – suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a NextGen walkaround character. A Mickey Mouse who not only addressed...

Have you ever dreamed of being a Disney Princess ? Of being one of those Cast Members who gets to interact with the public while you’re dressed as Cinderella, Princess Aurora or Belle? Well, if so, now might be a good time to buff up your resume. For – even as Walt Disney Imagineering filed those Notices...

How do you get to The Walt Disney World Resort ? Well, according to the directions that Kermit the Frog was giving to Sweetums at yesterday’s “ Give a Day, Get a Disney Day ” presentation at Epcot , you take the I-4 to 192 and then look for the cans. Of course, it’s easy to understand why everyone’s...

It was kind of interesting hearing the reaction yesterday when Meg Crofton , president of The Walt Disney World Resort , revealed that the “ Main Street Electrical Parade ” would be returning to the Magic Kingdom this summer. When Ms. Crofton initially made this announcement at WDW’s “What’s New, What...

Pavement Chaser starts things off with a rather succinct query. Which reads: Copyright 1995 Disney. All Rights Reserved Was there ever a Pocahontas ride in development? Pavement Chaser Dear Pavement Chaser – Whenever Walt Disney Animation Studios has a new project in development, you can pretty much...

Did you hear about the play test that WDI ran at The Magic Kingdom last month? Where the Imagineers used Guests who were waiting in line for a character meet-n-greet right outside of Pooh’s Playful Spot to try out a new entertainment-based queuing system? Though the Imagineers are being pretty close...